ArticleJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2025
Weight loss practices in Chinese national and international-level Sanda athletes.
Article in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Societal attitudes and structural barriers in coaching para-athletes: A mixed-methods systematic review.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Differences in weight loss practices and perceptions between medalists and non-medalists in national-level adolescent Sanda athletes.PloS one · 2026Article
- Do coaches and athletes share the same weight-loss practices and perceptions? Insights from 23 combat sport teams.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Sanda training for youth athletes: a comprehensive review of health benefits, injury prevention, and long-term development.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Hey athlete, you need to cut weight: weight loss guidance practices and perceptions of Chinese combat sports coaches.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Observational
- Weight loss practices, perceptions, and eating disorder symptoms among Chinese male adolescent combat sports athletes.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSanda is an unarmed combat sport (CS) comprises punching, kicking, throwing, wrestling, and defensive techniques that has increased in popularity. To ensure athletes compete against opponents of similar body size and weight for fairness, Sanda competition is classified according to weight classes. Previous studies revealed that CS athletes tend to intentionally lose weight to gain a competitive advantage over their opponents. However, little is known about weight loss (WL) practices in Sanda athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the WL practices of Chinese Sanda athletes.
methodsIn total, 169 (96 males, 73 females) national and international-level Sanda athletes completed the Rapid WL Questionnaire. Participants were categorized by sex (male, female), age (junior, senior), competition weight categories, and competitive levels (national, international).
resultsOver half (56%) of athletes purposefully implemented WL practices pre-competition. Their mean habitual WL was 7.6 ± 3.7%, and mean highest WL was 10.8 ± 4.2%. Participants usually allocated 15+ days pre-competition for WL (64%). Their rapid WL score (RWLS) was 30.4 ± 6.4. There were no significant differences across Sanda athletes concerning habitual WL% (
conclusionsThis study found the prevalence of WL is relatively low among Chinese national and international Sanda athletes, but the magnitudes are very high compared to other combat sports. Given that coaches have the greatest influence, the wider athlete support team must work cohesively with coaches to ensure that appropriate, individualized, and safe WL practices are applied.
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